Oliver Bearman

F1 2025’s big rookie class will boost my debut campaign

on 12 February 2025

Oliver Bearman believes the unexpectedly large crop of rookie drivers joining him in Formula 1 2025 will provide a lift for his first full-time year with Haas.

The 19-year-old is one of six rookies on the F1 grid in 2025 after the 2024 season began with zero driver market transfers.

It then started to change last February when Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari for this year was announced, while Bearman subsequently made his grand prix debut in Jeddah replacing the appendicitis-addled Carlos Sainz at the Scuderia in March.

Bearman impressed by finishing seventh at the season’s second round and it opened doors to several younger racers hoping of that step-up to F1. With so many rookies on this year’s grid, the now Haas driver thinks the group forms a handy shield to the intense pressure that inevitably builds around debut campaigns in the series.

“I was the first person to be announced,” Bearman told Autosport in an exclusive interview. “I was meant to be a rookie but for a few months I was the only rookie on the grid. And that’s a bit of a daunting prospect.

“Knowing that there’s other rookies is of course a little comforting – just to know that I’m not the only one going through a new season and a new challenge. There’s other people doing it with me, which is of course a nice feeling.”

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Motorsport Images

The number of rookies in F1 2025 is boosted by Red Bull adding two more new racers (Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson) to the historic pool as part of its junior driver programme – with the 11 races already started by Lawson complicating his categorisation as a series newbie.

But prior to Bearman’s one-off appearance in Saudi Arabia, it was considered widely unlikely so many other teams would opt to trust young racers with F1 berths on such a scale, as the previous preference for experienced hands held firm across the midfield.

While the frontrunning Mercedes was already going its own way in backing Andrea Kimi Antonelli to replace Hamilton, as McLaren did with Oscar Piastri in 2023, Bearman’s Jeddah performance convinced Haas to push on with preparing him to be a full-time driver.

This was an idea that had begun forming at the team after his first appearance in one of its F1 cars during opening practice at the 2023 Mexican GP. Bearman’s status as a Ferrari junior also meant Haas could budget save regarding his salary.

The lower price tags commanded by rookies also boosted the case for Alpine to promote its junior Jack Doohan to replace Haas-bound Esteban Ocon and for Sauber to sign back-to-back Formula 3 and Formula 2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto.

At the same time, the static car design rules in 2025 also mean the teams opting to run rookies can bed in their new signings ahead of the major chassis and engine regulation changes coming for 2026.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, Oliver Bearman, Reserve Driver, Ferrari and Haas F1 Team, play pickleball in the Paddock

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Bearman also explained how he knows “them all quite well”, from his experience of racing alongside his fellow 2025 rookies (bar Lawson) in lower formula championships on the F1 support bill.

“I raced Jack in F2 in 2023,” he added. “So, I’ve raced all of them. But Kimi, Gabriel and Isack – I actually raced last year and we have a good relationship,

“Specifically Kimi. I’ve been his team-mate for a year, but also, Gabri, we’ve been friends for a few years and racing each other for a few years too.

“So, I’m really excited to share the track with them this year. And also Jack, he had his [first F1 race with Alpine] race in Abu Dhabi, so it’s all coming together and it’s really cool.”

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In this article

Alex Kalinauckas

Formula 1

Oliver Bearman

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Formula 1

Why Bearman thinks F1 2025’s big rookie class will boost his debut campaign

Admin

on 12 February 2025

Oliver Bearman believes the unexpectedly large crop of rookie drivers joining him in Formula 1 2025 will provide a lift for his first full-time year with Haas.

The 19-year-old is one of six rookies on the F1 grid in 2025 after the 2024 season began with zero driver market transfers.

Things started changing last February when Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari for this year was announced, while Bearman subsequently made his grand prix debut in Jeddah replacing the appendicitis-addled Carlos Sainz at the Scuderia in March.

Bearman impressed by finishing seventh at that season’s second round and it opened doors to several younger racers who hoped of stepping-up to F1. With so many rookies on this year’s grid, the now Haas driver thinks the group forms a handy shield to the intense pressure that inevitably builds around debut campaigns in the series.

“I was the first person to be announced,” Bearman told Autosport in an exclusive interview. “I was meant to be a rookie but for a few months I was the only rookie on the grid. And that’s a bit of a daunting prospect.

“Knowing that there’s other rookies is of course a little comforting – just to know that I’m not the only one going through a new season and a new challenge. There’s other people doing it with me, which is of course a nice feeling.”

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Motorsport Images

The number of rookies in F1 2025 is boosted by Red Bull adding two more new racers (Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson) to the historic pool as part of its junior driver programme – with the 11 races already started by Lawson complicating his categorisation as a series newbie.

But prior to Bearman’s one-off appearance in Saudi Arabia, it was considered widely unlikely so many other teams would opt to trust young racers with F1 berths on such a scale, as the previous preference for experienced hands held firm across the midfield.

While the frontrunning Mercedes was already going its own way in backing Andrea Kimi Antonelli to replace Hamilton, as McLaren did with Oscar Piastri in 2023, Bearman’s Jeddah performance convinced Haas to push on with preparing him to be a full-time driver.

This was an idea that had begun forming at the team after his first appearance in one of its F1 cars during opening practice at the 2023 Mexican GP. Bearman’s status as a Ferrari junior also meant Haas could budget save regarding his salary.

The lower price tags commanded by rookies also boosted the case for Alpine to promote its junior Jack Doohan to replace Haas-bound Esteban Ocon and for Sauber to sign back-to-back Formula 3 and Formula 2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto.

At the same time, the static car design rules in 2025 also mean the teams opting to run rookies can bed in their new signings ahead of the major chassis and engine regulation changes coming for 2026.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, Oliver Bearman, Reserve Driver, Ferrari and Haas F1 Team, play pickleball in the Paddock

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Bearman explained he knows his fellow rookies “quite well” after racing alongside them (bar Lawson) in lower formula championships on the F1 support bill.

“I raced Jack in F2 in 2023,” Bearman added. “So, I’ve raced all of them. But Kimi, Gabriel and Isack – I actually raced last year and we have a good relationship,

“Specifically Kimi. I’ve been his team-mate for a year, but also, Gabri, we’ve been friends for a few years and racing each other for a few years too.

“So, I’m really excited to share the track with them this year. And also Jack, he had his [first F1 race with Alpine] race in Abu Dhabi, so it’s all coming together and it’s really cool.”

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In this article

Alex Kalinauckas

Formula 1

Oliver Bearman

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Formula 1

Haas to clarify Ocon and Bearman “rules of engagement” before 2025 F1 season

Admin

on 7 February 2025

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu will clarify “rules of engagement” for new drivers Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman to follow in the 2025 Formula 1 season.

The American squad has a history of flashpoints between team-mates – with former drivers Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean colliding several times in 2019, while Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin regularly tried to occupy the same pieces of racetrack in 2021.

These incidents occurred on the watch of former team boss Guenther Steiner, with Komatsu chief race engineer until his elevation to team boss at the start of last season, when Haas ran Nico Hulkenberg alongside Magnussen for the second year in succession.

That duo only had one really contentious moment during the 2024 campaign – when Hulkenberg was unexpectedly undercut by Magnussen after suffering a slightly slow pitstop at the Austrian GP and they subsequently duked it out on track.

But, given Ocon has a considerable checkered history of incidents with his F1 team-mates – from his days racing Sergio Perez at Force India, through to his clashes with Fernando Alonso and then Pierre Gasly at Alpine – questions have already been raised about what might happen in his new relationship with rookie Bearman.

When asked if he would be doing anything different in terms of establishing clear racing rules at Haas this year or if he was choosing to see how things develop, Komatsu, who pushed hard to secure Ocon’s services in 2025, replied: “No – rules of engagement has to be totally clear.

Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

“From day one. So, that will be clarified before the first race.

“I don’t expect any team-mate contacts, DNFs, because of that.

“But it’s good, you have to race hard. Look at last year – Kevin is a hard racer and then Kevin and Nico, the closest we came to an issue, which didn’t become an issue, was Austria, right?

“But that’s partly because we operated in a not perfect manner in terms of pitstop timing. We didn’t help ourselves.

“So, as a team, we shouldn’t be creating those messes. But, also, with the understanding of each other as team-mates, the rules of engagement would be perfectly clear.”

Komatsu also said he was not looking back to the “completely different era and dynamics and drivers” of the Mazepin-Schumacher Haas line-up in 2021 when it comes to setting out how he wants his squad’s new drivers to operate in 2025.

“No,” he said. “You look at how we operated last year and then how we can improve as a team, what we did good last year, what we could have improved last year, and then take that learning for this year.

Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal, Haas F1 Team, Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team, Mark Slade, Race Engineer, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

“So, I don’t look that far back to 2021. [And] with Esteban, with Ollie, these are two very, very good drivers.

“They both got a lot more to prove, yeah… But it’s funny about Ollie being a rookie, I don’t treat him as a rookie.

“He can drive a lot, with these young engineers as well, [they will] grow together.

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“We don’t treat him as a rookie in the sense that we pay lots of attention to what he has to say, because of course he’s got good experience in Ferrari’s education [and] simulator.

“And he’s been driving our car – VF-23 and VF-24. Every time he gets in the car, his feedback’s been excellent. The approach has been excellent, speed has been great.

“You saw in Baku and Interlagos [where Bearman raced in place of Magnussen last year], both qualifying sessions he outqualified Nico who was our reference, right? I think we got a very good combination [with Ocon]. Really looking forward to it.”

In this article

Alex Kalinauckas

Formula 1

Esteban Ocon

Oliver Bearman

Haas F1 Team

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Formula 1

Haas to give Ocon and Bearman “rules of engagement” before 2025 F1 season

Admin

on 7 February 2025

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu will clarify “rules of engagement” for new drivers Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman to follow in the 2025 Formula 1 season.

The American squad has a history of flashpoints between team-mates – with former drivers Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean colliding several times in 2019, while Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin regularly tried to occupy the same pieces of racetrack in 2021.

These incidents occurred on the watch of former team boss Guenther Steiner, with Komatsu chief race engineer until his elevation to team boss at the start of last season, when Haas ran Nico Hulkenberg alongside Magnussen for the second year in succession.

That duo only had one really contentious moment during the 2024 campaign – when Hulkenberg was unexpectedly undercut by Magnussen after suffering a slightly slow pitstop at the Austrian GP and they subsequently duked it out on track.

But, given Ocon has a considerable checkered history of incidents with his F1 team-mates – from his days racing Sergio Perez at Force India through to his clashes with Fernando Alonso and then Pierre Gasly at Alpine – questions have already been raised about what might happen in his new relationship with rookie Bearman.

When asked if he would be doing anything different in terms of establishing clear racing rules at Haas this year or if he was choosing to see how things develop, Komatsu, who pushed hard to secure Ocon’s services in 2025, replied: “No – rules of engagement have to be totally clear. From day one. So, that will be clarified before the first race.

Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

“I don’t expect any team-mate contacts, DNFs, because of that. But it’s good, you have to race hard.

“Look at last year – Kevin is a hard racer and then Kevin and Nico, the closest we came to an issue, which didn’t become an issue, was Austria, right? But that’s partly because we operated in a not perfect manner in terms of pitstop timing. We didn’t help ourselves.

“So, as a team, we shouldn’t be creating those messes. But, also, with the understanding of each other as team-mates, the rules of engagement would be perfectly clear.”

Komatsu also said he was not looking back to the “completely different era and dynamics and drivers” of the Mazepin-Schumacher Haas line-up in 2021 when it comes to setting out how he wants his squad’s new drivers to operate in 2025.

“No,” he said. “You look at how we operated last year and then how we can improve as a team, what we did good last year, what we could have improved last year, and then take that learning for this year.

“So, I don’t look that far back to 2021. [And] with Esteban, with Ollie, these are two very, very good drivers. They both got a lot more to prove, yeah…

“But it’s funny about Ollie being a rookie, I don’t treat him as a rookie. He can drive a lot, with these young engineers as well, [they will] grow together.

“We don’t treat him as a rookie in the sense that we pay lots of attention to what he has to say, because of course he’s got good experience in Ferrari’s education [and] simulator.

“And he’s been driving our car – VF-23 and VF-24. Every time he gets in the car, his feedback’s been excellent. The approach has been excellent, speed has been great.

“You saw in Baku and Interlagos [where Bearman raced in place of Magnussen last year], both qualifying sessions he outqualified Nico who was our reference, right? I think we got a very good combination [with Ocon]. Really looking forward to it.”

Read Also:

In this article

Alex Kalinauckas

Formula 1

Esteban Ocon

Oliver Bearman

Haas F1 Team

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli/Formula 1/Gabriel Bortoleto/Isack Hadjar/Jack Doohan/Liam Lawson/Oliver Bearman

Which of Formula 1’s six rookies will sink or swim in 2025? · RaceFans

Admin

on 6 February 2025

Six drivers will embark on their first full Formula 1 seasons this year – the most newcomers since 2013.

Half of the half-dozen don’t have a single start to their names yet, while the other three have already experienced the thrill of lining up on a grand prix grid at least once.

But all of them are striving for the same goal: to secure their place at the pinnacle of motorsport. Which of them has the best chance of staying there?

Liam Lawson

Previous F1 grand prix starts: 11

Liam Lawson is Red Bull’s latest attempt to solve the thorny problem of who belongs in a Formula 1 team alongside Max Verstappen. He is the first member of their young driver programme to get the opportunity since mid-2019.

Liam Lawson, Red Bull, Mugello, 2024 — Lawson is next to face F1’s toughest team mate

On that occasion Alexander Albon (who had already previously been dropped and then rehired by Red Bull) was brought in to replace Pierre Gasly, who lasted just 12 rounds with Verstappen. Albon was given a year and a half before Red Bull decided he couldn’t cut it and hired Sergio Perez, who had just been cut loose by Racing Point (now Aston Martin).

Red Bull’s sudden faith in Lawson makes it all the more curious that they passed up previous opportunities to give him more F1 experience, particularly at the start of 2023, when they initially placed him in Japan’s Super Formula series and gave a seat at their second team to outsider Nyck de Vries.

The return of Daniel Ricciardo later that year kept Lawson queued up waiting even longer for valuable F1 seat time. As a result, he will spend his first races alongside Verstappen learning several unfamiliar tracks.

Given that, will Red Bull be more patient with Lawson than they were with the likes of Gasly? If not, given this team’s track record, expect mid-season speculation about a potential swap with either of the Racing Bulls drivers, or even someone else.

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli

Previous F1 grand prix starts: 0

Mercedes’ bold decision to promote total newcomer Andrea Kimi Antonelli is a stark contrast to their past approach.

George Russell, Antonelli’s new team mate, had to serve three years’ apprenticeship at Williams before getting his chance. His predecessor Valtteri Bottas did four (and only got his chance in 2017 because Nico Rosberg walked out after winning the championship).

However Mercedes have taken great care both to downplay expectations of Antonelli ahead of his debut and ensure he has had the maximum possible seat time ahead of it. He began a programme driving their older F1 cars last year. His crash five laps into his first appearance in an F1 practice session did nothing to deter Mercedes – he was confirmed as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement the very next day.

The team has shown every indication it will take its time over bedding in Antonelli, who stands to be the third-youngest F1 driver of all time. That will go some way towards easing the pressure on him, but this nonetheless a huge ask for a rookie, especially if Mercedes produce a potentially race-winning car.

Jack Doohan

Previous F1 grand prix starts: 1

Unlike Lawson or Antonelli, Jack Doohan won’t expect to begin the season with a potentially race-winning car. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the pressure on him will be lower.

Alpine announced Doohan’s promotion in August last year. But soon afterwards Franco Colapinto’s debut at Williams caught the eye, and rumours followed that Alpine were keen to secure his services, potentially as a race driver. Last month Alpine announced they had reached a deal with Williams to bring Colapinto on board as their third reserve driver in addition to Paul Aron and Ryo Hirakawa.

Doohan was handed the chance to make his F1 debut one race early in last year’s finale. But Alpine consultant Flavio Briatore’s damning-with-faint-praise assessment “for the first race it was okay” will have been ringing in Doohan’s ears throughout the off-season.

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Previous F1 grand prix starts: 3

It’s rare for a driver to get three one-off appearances in Formula 1 before making their ‘proper’ debut. Indeed, Oliver Bearman achieved a unique feat by scoring points in his first two F1 starts with two different teams.

The first of those came at the punishing Jeddah Corniche Circuit as an 11th-hour replacement for Carlos Sainz Jnr at no less a team than Ferrari. Bearman, still only 18 at the time, passed his first test in style.

He already knows Haas well, having started two races for them and appeared in several practice sessions. He can expect to find himself in the cut and thrust of the midfield, but last year’s experience of the pressures of a real race weekend will be invaluable. His former F2 team mate Antonelli may have landed a top drive for his debut, but Bearman has the chance to play himself in at a midfield team while backers Ferrari keep an eye on his progress.

Isack Hadjar

Previous F1 grand prix starts: 0

The wheels are turning on Red Bull’s conveyor belt of young talent again. After the diversions of running the likes of Ricciardo and De Vries, Racing Bulls (as they are now known) are back in the role of promoting the team’s junior talent.

Isack Hadjar’s CV lacks the conspicuous achievement of a junior championship title, but he showed plenty of pace in Formula 2 last year and some poor luck harmed his bid for the crown.

However, this is Red Bull, so he will experience pressure from all sides. He is up against a driver with four years’ experience who is burning to show Red Bull erred by overlooking him. And coming up behind him is Arvid Lindblad, who is poised to clinch the Formula Regional Oceania championship before making his Formula 2 debut, and has already been talked up by the Red Bull top brass.

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Gabriel Bortoleto

Previous F1 grand prix starts: 0

Sauber face a transition year having finished last in the championship in 2024. They have swapped both their drivers and are preparing to become Audi’s works team next year.

Gabriel Bortoleto therefore faces less pressure than some rookies. But Bortoleto, previously a McLaren junior driver, is up against a tricky team mate in Nico Hulkenberg. If the Sauber is no more competitive than it was last year, the driver who enters F1 with back-to-back junior titles to his name will have to be content with fighting for scraps in his first season.

Over to you

Which of F1’s six rookies do you have the highest expectations of? Share your views in the comments.

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Oliver Bearman

F1 2025’s big rookie class will boost my debut campaign

Why Bearman thinks F1 2025’s big rookie class will boost his debut campaign

Haas to clarify Ocon and Bearman “rules of engagement” before 2025 F1 season

Haas to give Ocon and Bearman “rules of engagement” before 2025 F1 season